God the Father with Adoring Angels

Abstract

This glazed-terracotta work is documented to have been made by Andrea della Robbia for the Observant Franciscan church of Santa Maria in Fontecastello (near Montepulciano, where it is now housed in the Museo Civico). Andrea worked a great deal for the Observant Franciscans in these years, carrying out major commissions for the Osservanza in Siena and in La Verna. This work served as an elaborate sculpted frame for a much-venerated fresco of the Madonna and Child, as well as for a host tabernacle in the predella, flanked by colourful patterned tiles and scenes of the Nativity and Adoration of the Magi. The painting was framed by cherub heads, then God the Father with adoring angels, these framed in turn by classicizing architecture, all of which served to elevate the older image and give it an up-to-date gloss. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.